


Hair Shimmering with Stardust

by AmateurScribes



Series: RvB Rare Pair Week [2]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gladiators, Grif and Carolina- The Tearaway Time Couple, Kissing, RvB Rare Pair Week, RvB Rare Pair Week 2019, Time Travel, aka 'Carolina deserves to get to dick around with time travel like everyone else', gladiatorial fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-26 18:46:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18722818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmateurScribes/pseuds/AmateurScribes
Summary: After staying behind to go get pizza with the other's, Carolina never thought she'd get involved with time travel of all things.But if she's learned anything from Grif's lessons on how to relax, it's that sometimes it's just best to go with the flow.Doesn't mean she can't cause a bit of mischief with the man in question either.





	Hair Shimmering with Stardust

**Author's Note:**

> It's Rare Pair Week but also AP Testing Week so I don't know if I'll be able to participate beyond this fic, but I'm glad to have gotten this out at the very least! I'm a bit sick right now, so hopefully, this makes sense oof. Not Beta read because unlike me, she's actually studying for our test tomorrow, so all mistakes are my own. Enjoy!

When Carolina had let Tucker convince her to join the other's on their 'pizza quest' it was with trepidation and a small amount of guilt.

She would have preferred to go to Chorus to see how Wash was doing, but at the same time, she couldn't deny that getting a bite to eat sounded _really good_ at the moment. Hence, the small sliver of guilt she felt.

Of course, she knew that Doc would be moderating her food intake, what with her still not having properly recovered from her time spent in armor lock. But she wouldn't let that dull her mood.

Grif _was_ making this Sammie Raphaello's out to be pretty tempting.

But then, of course, as so often found whenever the Reds and Blues got involved in something, it all went to shit.

Was she surprised about whatever was going on with Donut? She's leaning towards no, mainly on the principle that weird things just tend to happen around and _to_ SIM Troopers. Was she shocked at the twice destruction of the pizzeria? No, because she knew how to roll with the punches.

But she couldn't lie about how concerned she had been when Grif had collapsed in anguish after witnessing that alien woman had destroyed the pizzeria once more.

He had been acting strange ever since he came back from Iris. She couldn't tell what it was about him that had changed, but she wanted to observe and see if it was a good change or a bad change.

And now both she and Grif were stuck... somewhere. It looked, at best, some sort of frozen tundra, but that could mean anything- it was no indication if they were even still on Earth.

Looking down at the Red, she noticed his sullen mood as he stared at the strange machine, fiddling with some parts of it.

"Grif," she asks tentatively. "Are you ok?"

"Who me?" he scoffs. "I'm just fine and dandy, thanks for asking."

"You don't sound fine," she walks closer ignoring the crunch of snow underneath her feet. "What are you thinking right now?"

"I'm thinking that we're completely fucked," he looks up and she can just tell that he's glaring at her.

"Do you now?" she quirks her eyebrow at him. "And why is that?"

"Because!" he throws up one of his hands. "Every fucking time we try to go on break stupid shit happens and we're just supposed to deal with it- and I'm _tired_ of dealing with it. I just wanted some fucking pizza and now I can't have even that."

"Grif," she starts but then pauses, recognizing the sentiments that he had shared when he had quit back on Iris. "If you really want pizza so bad, why not use the time machine to travel to when you know it was there for sure. How about that?"

"That's not the point!" he explodes, jumping up and starting to pace. "It's not _just_ about pizza, it's about so much more! It's about wanting to have a break and at first, I thought I could have that by myself when I had quit but then I fucking went crazy with the silence and isolation! So now I had started to think- what if I could just get all of us in one place, _together,_ and have a proper break on Earth, test the waters by getting some pizza. But that went to shit like everything else."

Resting her hand against his shoulder, she gets him to stop pacing, and she only speaks when she sees his fists uncurl, saying, "Grif, I understand you're frustrated, but perhaps now isn't the best time for this. We still need to figure out how to use the time machine."

"I- yeah, you're right," he sighed. "Besides, I already figured it out, there's a shuffle button."

"A... shuffle button," she glanced down at the machine, removing her hand from his shoulder to cross her arms incredulously. "Why would there be a shuffle button?"

"Does it look like I know," he shrugged. "But if it works, it works. And so far it looks like it's our only way out of freezing to death."

Grif walked over and picked up the machine, hitting the aforementioned button and opening a portal, as brilliantly pink as when Donut had made one earlier.

She approached the portal but noticed the hesitant way that Grif stood before it. Taking the initiative, she grabbed his hand and pulled him through.

When her eyes adjusted to the change in brightness, she noticed that they were in some sort of city at night, the lights of the buildings creating a very calming atmosphere.

"Do you know where it took us," she asked.

"No," Grif dragged out, looking at their surroundings. "Shuffle button remember? But... this _kinda_ looks like Honolulu, but I'm not sure."

"Oh," she said to fill the space, looking at their surroundings once more. "Do you know if there's someplace for us to go to figure out how to calibrate the machine for specific time periods?"

Grif scoffed, and with an exasperated voice, he exclaimed, "With no money between the two of us? No. Our best bet is to just go down to the shore and fuck around with this. No one's gonna bat an eye at our power armor, they're so used to soldiers coming here on shore leave."

Nodding her head, she gestured towards him, saying, "Lead the way then."

They made their way down to what Grif had reassured her was a secluded part of Waikiki beach, which he had followed up with a joke about how that seemed like a bit of an oxymoron.

It's not time anyhow, likely the early hours of the morning where everyone, save a few, would be asleep. She's not sure of the exact time as her HUD's clock isn't calibrated properly due to what she suspects is the act of time travel.

So she's settled down on the sand, watching as Grif presses buttons seemingly at random, trying to figure out the machine, beside her.

"Grif," she speaks up, watching as his helmet turns towards her. "Earlier I wasn't dismissing what you were saying, you know that right?"

"Sure," he says before focusing down at the machine once more.

"I'm telling the truth, and," she pauses, taking in a deep breath. "I get what you mean about wanting a break."

He's silent for a moment before, "Really?"

"It all gets a bit hectic doesn't it," she waves her hand vaguely. "I want a break as much as you do after what Temple but us through."

Grif's hands still at the reminder, and he asks her, "How are you, I don't think we've really had a chance to ask you that yet?"

"I'm fine," she stresses. "Itching for a fight really, which is not to say I'm enjoying this new adventure all that much. But then again, it hasn't really started yet has it?"

"Yeah," Grif agreed.

"It's a shame that we can't have that break now," Carolina sighed.

"You know," Grif starts. "I'm not using this thing to go and get some pizza- with my rotten luck, it's probably been erased from time- so, what I'm trying to say is that it'd be a shame if we didn't use it for anything."

Looking at him, she asks, "What are you talking about?"

"Carolina," Grif started. "We have a _time_ machine between us. What is the one thing you've _always_ wanted to do- the one place you've _always_ wanted to go?"

It's a far cry from when he'd been lamenting the fate of pizza earlier, and he's gesturing the time gun towards her, giving her the choice of where to go.

There are things that come to her mind immediately, things she regrets that she would love to change. The outcome of her fellow Freelancers, the fate of Epsilon, and even recently with what happened to Wash.

But.

That's not what Grif asked her. He didn't ask what she would change if she could- no, he asked her about the one place she would love to go if the opportunity presented itself.

Carolina hasn't wanted many things in her life, and there are few places left in the galaxy that can tempt her considering she's pretty much seen it all.

Except for one thing.

"There is... one place," she admits. "Have you ever heard of Eris IX?"

Her answer was a tilt of his head.

Oh, this- this was going to be fun.

* * *

"You're idea, of the perfect vacation place through time and space, is a _gladiatorial combat arena,"_ Grif sounded utterly flabbergasted as he stared up at the huge building.

It had lines of neon lights built within the walls, pulsating with the roars of the audience in the background. Blimps flew above the arena televising one of the fights that were currently occurring.

While she smirked at the building in front of her, eyes narrowing at the challenge it presented, Grif turned to look at her and exclaim, "You've gone fucking bonkers."

She doesn't entertain him with a response, entering the building and heading towards the admission desk. Grif quickly trailed after her.

"I'd like to sign up for one of your tournament battles," she said in lieu of a greeting towards the woman manning the desk.

The woman didn't even bat an eye, simply typing into her computer module.

"Name?" she asked.

"Agent McAllister," Carolina lied.

Nodding, the woman typed it in, not even asking for an entrance fee- and considering that it was a fight-to-the-death type of establishment it wasn't surprising.

"We supply weapons and armor for those who don't bring their own," the woman gives her a cursory glance. "According to our rules, unknown armor is not permitted, so I'm afraid you'll have to switch it out for something different."

"Won't be a problem, I won't even need it," she quipped, reaching over to take the data card that the woman was handing over.

"Down that hallway, third door on the right," the woman finished, before managing her work once more.

Without a second glance, she started heading towards where the armory was, dragging Grif along until he matched her own stride.

"When you said you were itching for a fight, this isn't what I thought you meant," Grif whispered to her as they headed down the hallway. "Why'd you want to come here?!"

"This place was renowned for its fights in the twenty-fourth century, but it gets shut down not too soon from now," she explains. "I've always wanted to enter something like this- I've been told that I'm a bit competitive."

"A bit?!" Grif looked at her with wide eyes. "I'd like to think this is more than a bit! Do you even have a plan for when you win?"

She appreciates the use of 'when' instead of 'if.'

"I'm not going to kill anyone if that's what you're asking," she stops in front of the armory. "I'm here to let loose, make sure I'm still in tip-top shape."

"I don't think you've ever been out of shape in your life," Grif mutters, stopping a step behind her.

"I'll be back out in a minute," she promised, entering the armory.

The room itself wasn't anything impressive. All she did was choose any random pairing of armor, trade it in for her own, and then claim her weapon of choice- a Humbler Stun Device.

Walking out she noticed how Grif nervously tapped his fingers against the time gun still held loftily in his hands.

At hearing the doors open he looks up at her.

"You're going out there with your hair all loose like that?" he asks, before stepping forward. "Here, turn around, if you're going to do this I might as well make sure you're not going to lose because someone yanked on your hair."

Doing as he asked, she turned her back to him and waited as he intricately braided her hair, being gentle yet firm whilst doing so. Gripping the ends of her hair with one hand, he used the other to yank off his helmet, settling it between his legs as he undid the bun that held his hair together with one hand. Taking the hair tie, he used it to finish off her braid.

"What about your own hair," she asked, knowing from some fellow agents how hard it was to maintain long hair with the helmets they had.

"Meh, I think I can survive with holding onto my helmet for a few hours," he waved off her concerns. "I'm more worried about your crazy ass if I'm being honest."

"This," she started, in her attempt to reassure him. "Will be cathartic. Like a spar."

"Except much deadlier," Grif muttered. "Alright, I think you're ready to go."

"Watch me from the stands?" she asked, looking directly into his eyes.

"Front row seats," he shrugged. "I want to see up close if you win. Also, in the time that you spent getting outfitted, I went and made a _lot_ of bets on you winning. So, ya know, when you're the last one standing we can blow all that money on _fun_ shit."

She smirked, clasping his hand for a moment, before heading towards the arena doors.

Rolling her shoulders back, she thought about the fighters she would have to face.

She was sure she could make it through this just fine.

* * *

Apparently, Carolina couldn't make it through it just fine.

It wasn't that she had lost by any means, in that case, she would have been dead by now.

Instead, as it turns out, the audience wasn't all too happy with her insistence on not killing anyone- merely knocking them unconscious with her stun device.

By the end of it, not a single person was dead, and the audience was chanting for someone's head to roll.

And eventually, it was _her_ head they wanted on a pike.

Apparently, it was illegal in the arena's rules to not kill off your opponents.

So they had had to run, but luckily they had the power of time on their sides.

And by that, she meant that they could create portals to a different time period on a different planet entirely.

They still make a few more trips through multiple other portals just to be sure.

The two of them don't stop until they're good and well alone in some random woods.

"That was," Grif huffed, eyes blown wide. "That was fucking exhilarating."

Carolina can't stop the light laugh that escapes past her lips, as she says, "It was wasn't it?"

"Is it a bad thing that I'm like, really fucking turned on by all this, because first it was watching you kick the crap out of all those other fighters and then it was you kicking the crap out of the authorities," there's not an ounce of shame as Grif says this, looking up at her with only admiration. "Because _holy shit,_ Carolina."

"Impressed?" she leans back against the wall, getting her breathing under control once more.

"I'm a little more than impressed right now," Grif shakes his head, a bewildered smile still on his face. "Part of me wants to curl up and die at the thought that I got wrapped up in another adventure, but the other part of me just wants to fuck around with time more with you."

Before she can retort, Grif tacks on quietly, "That's also the part of me that wants to kiss you senseless."

His gaze is turned downwards, and regret flashes across his face slightly.

Well, that wouldn't do at all.

Taking the stride forward, she connects their lips, tilting her head just so and closing her eyes. She's sure, that if they were open, she could see how Grif looks shocked, but she feels him deepen the kiss himself.

It as they separate that she gets a word in edgewise, "That part of you seems like the better one, wouldn't you agree?"

Looking up at her, he murmurs, "Fuck yeah it is."

"And we still have this don't we," Carolina gestures towards the gun. "Don't see why we can't cause a little mischief- we deserve to let loose a little bit, right? Isn't that what you've been trying to teach me?"

"Technically no- this is like, directly against everything I was trying to teach you," Grif pauses for a moment. "But you know what? Fuck it. Where to next, Carolina?"

"Let's steal the Holy Grail," she nodded her head at the idea. "We'll find out if it exists- and if it does, we're stealing it."

"We're going to become criminals through time," Grif sounds almost giddy at the idea. Putting on his helmet, he goes to aim the gun, putting in a rough estimate of a year, when he pauses in realization. "Wait, Carolina, we need to get back you're armor!"

"Time gun remember," she says. "All we need to do is grab my armor after the both of us left and then be on our merry way."

"To steal the fucking _Holy Grail,"_ Grif nods. "Hopefully it's not that bloodline theory that would suck."

"Then we can move onto Nelson's Chelengk," she shrugged. "Who's going to stop us- time police?"

"This is going to be so badass," Grif fires the gun, creating a portal. "You know, I can get behind adventures if it's going to be as badass as this."

"That's the spirit," she quips.

"What do you think the other guys are doing," Grif can't help but ask.

"Perhaps, something a bit more rational than us, but knowing them they're doing something equally as ridiculous," she said as she strode towards the portal. "I'm sure they'll meet up with us eventually."

"Let's hope it's not too soon, I want to be able to at least get on three different centuries most wanted lists," Grif groans.

"I bet I could get on five," she challenges.

She watches to see if he'll rise to the bait, and given she can see the calculating tilt of his helmet she knows that he most certainly did.

"You're on," he nods.

Without hesitation, they both enter the portal.

Carolina can just tell that this will be _quite_ the adventure.

**Author's Note:**

> If I make other contributions to this week I don't think it's gonna be a continuation of this. I have other rare pair ships I wanna explore. Nonetheless, I hope you guys liked this!
> 
> If you want to contact me you can find me at either of my Tumblr's: @agent-murica (main) or @amateurscribes (writing).


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